Naja melanoleuca, forest cobra

forest cobra, 1.5 meters, found attempting to cross tarmac south of Gamba airport

Agile, fast, difficult to approach, the forest cobra would rather flee than take a stand. Sometimes called a black and white cobra, this serpent can be found in forest galleries, savannas, plantations, and villages throughout the Gamba region. They can grow to be 2.5 meters in length.

2 Responses to Naja melanoleuca, forest cobra

Hi David,
Was trawling the net to identify a cobra and came across your website. Amazingly in your January blog, there is a beautiful photograph of the very cobra I was trying to find.
We lived in Yenzi many years ago, and a cobra was found in my children’s bedroom. Unfortunately, it was killed by the guy on duty from Camp Services as I don’t think anyone had the skill to remove it safely at the time. I do remember though that we were all pretty scared. I only have photos of the dead cobra, but am pretty sure it’s the same as the one of your photo.
Wonderful blog, it brings back such happy memories. Will check back regularly from now on.
Many thanks,
Jennifer

Jennifer, Another example of the power of the internet. The forest cobra is probably one of the most common cobras here, though they are still not seen often. It remains camp policy to kill venomous snakes, rather than attempt to relocate them. Unfortunate, for they are beautiful, though deadly. A children’s bedroom is no place to discover that you have a cobra.